Shanghai Restaurant — Restaurant in Ontario

Pre ordered for a birthday dinner using the online order site the restaurant site sent me to. There was no mention of a premium price added for me to order this way-it was a pickup order, ordered in advance (which by my reasoning is advantageous to the restaurant and should not attach a premium). The online order system would not accept payment and in fact directs you to pay at restaurant and even sends a confirmation text to verify phone. We arrived promptly at 6 and the order wasn’t ready and the cashier admitted it hadn’t even been started yet (after I paid). My suspicion is they were waiting to see if I showed up. I noticed the menu price at the restaurant was much lower than the online ordering system they send you to. I have never eaten inside and given the overall lack of cleanliness and drab interior I don’t think many do and it was empty in the dining room from what I could see. About 30 minutes after arriving our food came out. I did mention my dissatisfaction with the premium being charged for them directing me to an online system without notice, the food not being ready and they couldn’t have cared less. Now our birthday dinner was 45 minutes late, the food was mediocre at best and there are now 8 people who are not ever going to eat here again. I often get asked for recommendations for places to eat, Shanghai won’t be one of them, and in fact I will go out of my way to steer people away from this most disappointing of dining...

Shanghai is normally my go-to. I've recommended it to many, many friends, and order it frequently. It is usually very fresh and very enjoyable. However, the last THREE times I ordered, food was very obviously re-fried and not fresh. I order lemon chicken and the wings everytime because they're my faves. However, the last two times, the breading was rock hard and crumbling off and was very dark. It was very obviously old-- probably made earlier that day-- and refried so it was more than room temperature. This is very disappointing as I could not enjoy the whole meal as these were the two main things, and the rest was sides. I don't know why businesses take these short-cuts-- people can tell! So now, I am going to be hesitant ordering again, will be hesitant recommending to friends, and will probably try somewhere else next time just to be safe... My orders weren't exactly cheap, so was it really worth it, for me OR the restaurant to...

I was attracted by the review which said Shanghai restaurant is the best Chinese food in town. It turned out that review did not lie. This is the first time I decided to write a review for a restaurant.

I went there with my wife today when they were about to close. We ordered sauteed ginger beef and chicken pa tai. They were really good that as a Chinese I felt like it has been a long time that I have not had such nice Chinese food. We could not stop taking the next bite till the dishes were empty. Unlike some other Chinese restaurant in town, food in this place has no tastes of MSG. And they gave a lot for each dish and were not parsimonious for putting beef and chicken into it. They served really nice food to make both of our stomaches and tongues satisfied.

When we were about to leave, I aske the owner how long they have been here. They said 55 years, since 1968. In the end, time always stands with those...